BILLY LIAR COURSEWORK: 'Explain how both humour and conflict are created in the scene in which Rita and Barbara clash'

The build up to the scene where Rita and Barbara clash starts ever since you find out that Billy has got himself engaged to two girls because the audience must think that they have to clash at sometime as it is inevitable in reality if the same situation was to occur. It’s almost as though every scene that includes Barbara or Rita seems to make the chances of the to opposite personalities clashing. For example when Billy fails to get the ring from Barbara and then Rita is demanding it back and Billy tells her that the ring is at the jewellers, then the scene when Rita tells Billy that she has been to the jewellers but its not there. This is creating humour because Billy has to keep on making up lies on the spot that are obvious to us to be not true. It also causes more conflict because some of the time the person he tells the lie to knows that he is telling a lie.  In the scene where Rita rings the doorbell of Billy’s home and asks Billy about being seen with Barbara and about the ring, which ends up in her walking slowly away hoping that Billy will follow, but he doesn’t, which then results in her returning later on where she walks into the house without knocking and sees Barbara which is where the main conflicts begin.

Outline the scene

At the beginning of the seen Rita immediately creates tension and conflict between her and Alice by saying “(to Billy, indicating Alice) it takes her sometime to get out of the lavatory, doesn’t it? What’s she been doing? Writing her will out?” I think Rita might of shouted this quote with an angry shriek and she might of given Alice an evil look, Then Billy creates humour for the audience and tries to relieve the tension by saying “Rita, I don’t think you’ve met my mother have you?” he behaves as though it was a formal dinner party when the situation is completely different. The next time Billy speaks he is still acting as though Rita hadn’t come into the house throwing insults about the room; Billy says “I’ll just take her as far as the bus stop mother.” Quite calmly and as if Rita wanted to leave. Also when he says “well, I’m very glad you have come, Rita, because I feel I owe you a word or explanation.” He creates humour and tries to soften the conflict and he is purposely misunderstanding the situation. Alice gets very aggravated very quickly with Rita, which escalates the conflict between Alice and Rita. I can tell this because she says “(shocked) we’re not putting up with this! Where does she think she is?” Alice is not being at all unreasonable in being so shocked and outraged as Rita bursting in to somebody else’s house unannounced and starts insulting the family in it is completely irrational and rude. When Billy next speaks he says (still in a formal clam manner) “well, I’m very glad you have came, Rita, because fell I owe you a word of explanation.” Rita then replies in a very rude and lower class manner “(imitating him) Oooh, I feel I owe you a word of explanation. Get back in the cheese, with the other maggots!” Rita is trying to create conflict between him and Billy and I think that this creates humour because her voice may be put out in a funny tone. I think by the time Billy next speaks he drops his act and starts actually trying to calm down the situation.

The first time Barbara speaks the difference in class is obvious between the two characters. The reason why Barbara finally speaks is because Rita says “you can bring his rotten farther down. I hope you do. And bring his rotten grandma.” I think this may of upset Barbara as she is a sensitive, caring person. I think Barbara would be the type of person to feel strongly about what Rita said when she referred to Billy’s sick grandma as ‘rotten’. Barbara replied “Billy’s grandma, for your information, happens to be ill in bed.”